‘I Felt Bad’ – New Simba Star Mohammed Bajaber Explains Decision to Abandon Harambee Stars CHAN 2024 Duty

Harambee Stars winger Mohammed Bajaber has opened up about the difficult decision to leave Kenya’s CHAN 2024 squad just days before the tournament kicked off, saying he felt “bad” to walk away but had to think about his long-term career.

Bajaber became one of Kenya’s most talked-about players after scoring in the 3-3 draw with Gambia during a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Abidjan — a match that also marked Benni McCarthy’s debut as head coach.

 His form for Kenya Police FC, which he had joined barely a month earlier and helped to a league title, earned him a spot in the CHAN squad and the expectation that he would be one of the side’s key creative forces.

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However, a hamstring injury suffered in June meant Bajaber missed the national team’s friendlies against Chad in Morocco. Although he had been training individually in the hope of regaining fitness in time for CHAN, he admitted he was still not at 100%.

Meanwhile, a KES 12 million transfer offer from Tanzanian giants Simba SC arrived — a deal that would give him the opportunity to join one of East Africa’s most decorated clubs.

Speaking during his unveiling in Dar es Salaam, Bajaber told Simba’s official YouTube channel why fans were the main motivation behind his decision to join the Tanzanian outfit:

“Simba is a big club and it is a huge opportunity for me to get to play in front of a lot of fans regularly. I have only done that once before — in front of Harambee Stars fans against Gabon,” Bajaber said,

"As much as I was disappointed to leave the national team set-up before CHAN, I felt it was best for my career to have a full pre-season and not to rush my recovery phase.”

The 21-year-old added that his family fully supported the move, with even his father encouraging him to make the switch.

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy also backed the decision, explaining that Bajaber would have missed the entire group stage and it would have been unfair to keep him in the squad.

“We had to decide whether to keep one of our better players and hope he’d recover in time for the knockout stages. In the end, it was better to let him go and recover fully,” McCarthy said.

Bajaber now hopes to make an immediate impact at Simba, who are eager to reclaim the Tanzanian Premier League title from rivals Yanga and improve on last season’s CAF Confederation Cup runner-up finish. 

He says he also wants his move to inspire young Kenyan footballers to aim higher.